


Clarity

by Aryagraceling



Series: Rare Pair Central [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Everyone being fantastic friends, F/M, Family Feels, Marriage, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 20:57:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19776277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryagraceling/pseuds/Aryagraceling
Summary: “I promise to be there for you as much as I can, through whatever I can,” Raidou continues. “We won’t be together through all of it. That’s not our life.” He looks over to see Kakashi nodding in agreement. “And I’m sure there will be hardships on the way, but that’s what makes us,us,baby. Makes us human. Makes this house a home.”





	Clarity

**Author's Note:**

> For Naruto Rare Pair Bingo, Board B, Free Space.
> 
> This fic is directly inspired by [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5iX5j4W1ws) scene from New Girl. I just really, really needed it for these two.
> 
> Set four years after [Ashes of Eden](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18037775).

Of all the days for hospital emergencies to come up, the day of one’s wedding ranks incredibly high. Triage instead of toasts, blood instead of bouquets, death instead of stark, white fabric...urgent orders to come in, we have teams coming in who need immediate medical attention and we’re woefully short-staffed today.

Sakura could cry. She does, in fact, in the five minutes she gets to wolf down a sandwich and burn her tongue on coffee that seems to do nothing. Quaking shoulders are at odds with the short, quiet sniffles she hides in the corner of the supply closet no one seems to use anymore. It’s 3:57 PM, she’s on hour eight of gods know how many, and she should have gotten married 57 minutes and 39 seconds ago.

“Sorry, baby,” she sniffs to no one. “Namiashi Sakura sounded pretty good this morning, didn’t it?”

Her head thumps back to the wall as she wipes her eyes. The light sneaking through the crack in the door teases her with what she should be standing in, accepting well-wishes from the guests in the garden she’s carefully tended with Raidou. She should be holding Sayuri on her hip and laughing at the way their daughter always wants to play with  _ pink, mama!  _

“Sorry,” she says again, and there’s a knock on the door. “No one’s in here.”

Tsunade’s voice makes her cringe. “‘No one’ sounds upset.”

Sakura sighs, sniffs, and opens the door to see Tsunade standing tall as a house in front of her. “I was coming back in a minute,” she says. “I just--” she gestures to her cup and wrapper, trying not to let her lip quiver. “Food, you know?”

“I know,” Tsunade says softly. She slides down the wall to sit next to Sakura and lets her head tip to the side, her hand falling to rest on Sakura’s knee. “I wouldn’t have called for you unless it was absolutely necessary, you realize that, right?”

“I know,” Sakura says. “And it should be fine, I shouldn’t be crying.”

“Hey, as long as you’re not breaking down in front of patients.” Tsunade shrugs and lets out a small laugh. “Can I count on you for that?”

Sakura nods.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I really don’t,” Sakura says, screwing her eyes shut against a fresh wave of tears. “I just need to get back to work, then home to figure out what to do with everything. It’s just a clusterfuck I don’t want to have to deal with.”

“All right.” Tsunade squeezes her knee before standing and fishing out a small pouch of tissues from one of the many deep pockets in her jacket. “Here. We’ll get you out of here as soon as possible, hon, I promise. Deal?”

“Deal.” 

Tsunade does her best. She does. Unfortunately, there’s only so much that her best can help with, and it’s nearly 10 by the time Sakura walks out of the hospital doors. Sayuri’s probably fighting Raidou on being put down for a bed, something that causes her to dawdle on the walk home in the hopes she’ll miss it. The moon smiles down on her and not for the first time, she thanks whatever deity is listening that it was that same moon that brought her the life she leads now.

“You’re thinking too loud, you know,” Genma’s voice whispers from above her. “It’s giving me a headache.”

“Not now, Gen,” she says when he drops in front of her. “I just want to go home and cry.”

“Now why would you want to do that?” He stuffs his hands deep in his pockets and strides easily alongside her, senbon clicking against his teeth and setting her on edge. There’s a bag around his shoulder he doesn’t usually carry, but she’s not about to ask about it. “There’s no reason to c--”

“Just shut up,” she mutters. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“I was  _ saying,”  _ Genma says, darting up the front porch stairs before the can get there herself, “there’s no reason to cry.” He plunges a hand into the bag and comes out with her favorite dress, the one she wore on the night Raidou admitted his dream to her. “Put this on.”

“Genma…”

Genma sighs and draws himself to his full height, plucking the senbon from his lips as he holds the dress out. “I’m being serious, okay? I’ve listened to you plan today for over a year now, I know how much this means to you.” He shakes his hand a bit, and Sakura takes it with questions written on her face. “Kakashi’s busy these days with hokage business, so we weren’t really able to help with anything, but now we can.”

“How?”

“Just trust me.” With three words and a pop of chakra, Genma’s gone and Sakura hears the murmuring from the backyard. She fishes out her key and opens the door to the same old black couch and grey walls, Sayuri’s toys scattered around, but something feels different. Off.

“Suspicious,” she mumbles, shrugging her bag off onto the floor.

Anko standing in the hallway is a surprise. “Boo,” the other woman says, startling her. “Get dressed and sit your ass down in the bathroom. We’re ready for you.”

“We’re ready?” Sakura asks.

Anko’s eyes soften with a smile. “Everyone important,” she says. “We waited.”

“You…”

“We weren’t going to let the day go to waste,” Anko says. She grabs for Sakura’s hand and all but shoves her into the bedroom, talking through the door as Sakura undresses. “Me and Ino, Gen, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Iruka. I think Raidou’s there, maybe? Your kid’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

“I hope so,” Sakura says, pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes. “Be pretty crappy if we lost her.”

The back door opens, tiny feet pattering down the hallway as Anko makes a nonsensical noise. “Here she is!” she exclaims, and Sakura listens to the sound of Sayuri squealing in glee at being lifted into the air. “Here!”

“You’re going to be up all night with her if you start that,” Raidou says from the door. “Is Sakura back yet?”

“In here, Rai,” Sakura calls.

“Oh, no, no you don’t,” Anko says, and there’s a small dance before Raidou’s knocking on the door, Anko’s protesting about how he can’t see the bride before the wedding tossed aside. “Fine, then, see if I help you again,” she finally says. “We’ll be waiting in the bathroom, won’t we, Sayuri?”

Sakura peers between her fingers when the door creaks open and Raidou slips through. He’s got a hand over his eyes that he’s peeking through like she is, and when their gazes meet, both smile. “You waited,” she says.

“I waited.” In two strides he’s on her, arms wrapping around her shoulders and a hand coming up to press her head to his chest. “Hospital’s not going to take away my chance to make you mine.”

“I suppose Sayuri and a house weren’t enough?” she asks, and a laugh rumbles through him as he bends down to kiss her. 

“All right, hospital isn’t going to steal my chance to show everyone else how much I love you?”

Sakura uses the back of his hand to wipe away a stray tear. “You’re getting there,” she half-laughs, half-cries. “I guess that’s close enough for me.” When she looks up, he’s looking at her like he did after the tsukuyomi was broken. It’s like she’s the only person in the world, like he can’t see anyone or anything but her, and that’s his peace. “I can’t believe you convinced everyone to do this.”

“Didn’t take a whole lot of convincing,” Raidou says quietly. He lets her go to spin her around, pulling the dress from the bed and holding it for her to step into. His fingers are careful, warm as they caress the curve of her back while zipping up the back. When he’s finished, he embraces her and rests his chin on top of her head as they sway. “You’re quite a woman. They wanted to help us celebrate finally taking the plunge.”

“Finally,” Sakura snorts. She turns around and knits their fingers together as she grins into his suit. “Like we haven’t been planning it for a long time already, hmm?”

Raidou chuckles. “Finally getting it done, then,” he murmurs. “Do you want help with getting done up?”

“I’ll be all right.” She takes a deep breath, draws away, and steers him toward the door. “You go entertain everyone and I’ll be out shortly. I’m sure Genma’s gotten to the dirty stories by now.”

“Doubt Kakashi will let him,” Raidou says, but abandons her to Anko’s whims and hairbrush. Ino paints her face, just enough to be noticeable, and when they both step back to appraise her, Sayuri hurtles into her lap with stars in her eyes.

“Pretty,” she whispers in awe, tiny hands grabbing at the straps of Sakura’s dress.

She’s thoroughly dissatisfied when Anko pulls her away. “Can I give her some c-a-n-d-y?” Anko whispers over her shoulder. “Because someone--” she touches the tip of Sayuri’s nose-- “is being a crabbypants, and it’s a special night.”

“There’s some in the cupboard by the fridge,” Sakura says. “Only a bit, though.”

“Got it.” Anko disappears, and Sakura’s left to accept the bouquet of wildflowers Ino presses into her hands.

“I know it’s not the one we’d planned on, but I think it’s just as nice,” she says with a shrug.

“It’s gorgeous.” 

Ino smiles down at the flowers, then at Sakura as she presses Sakura’s fingers closed around the stems. “Ready?” she asks, and Sakura takes a deep breath before nodding.

“I always have been.”

**

In the garden, Raidou fidgets with the rings in his pocket. Kakashi’s leaning against the back fence, covering a yawn with a gloved hand, Genma’s standing between them, and everyone else is chatting quietly under the stars. They’ve been nothing but kind, for which Raidou will be forever grateful, and he makes a note to thank each of them especially when that time comes.

“Took you long enough,” Genma says, elbowing his side. “Only been five years since that day.”

“Yeah, the one where she caught me crying? Real proud.” Raidou snorts and crosses his arms, staring at the door impatiently. “But,” he says at Genma’s look, “it got me here today. So it wasn’t so bad in the end, hmm?”

“Hey, worse ways to start a relationship than mourning something perfect,” Iruka says. He slings an arm around Shikamaru’s shoulders and grins at his partner. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Walks Into Poles?”

“I thought we swore never to talk about that again.” Shikamaru drops his forehead to his palm, but his lifted lips belie the irritation in his tone as he leans into Iruka’s side. “Does this mean I get to tell him how you tripped over the coffee table and faceplanted directly into m--”

“Another time,” Iruka says quickly, pressing a kiss to Shikamaru’s temple. “After many, many more drinks, maybe.”

“I’m sure you’ll spill ev--” The back door opens, and Raidou straightens along with everyone else when Anko walks out and puts Sayuri on the ground. “Everything,” he breathes as his daughter begins to toddle toward him. He squats low, holding his arms out for her. “Come here, honey, come on.”

It’s not a rare thing, seeing her face split wide in a smile, but as she beams beneath the moon, he thinks there’s really nothing he’s more proud of. Fiery red hair and a temper to match, much like her mother, and most days he wonders if she’s inherited Sakura’s strength as well.

He hopes so.

She stumbles just before she reaches him and as always, he’s there to catch her. There’s a small smear of chocolate or dirt--honestly, he’s never really sure--on her chin, which Anko is useless in helping decipher as Sayuri clings to his jacket. “Doing all right?” he asks softly, bouncing her on his hip.

Sayuri only nods and ducks her head into his shoulder.

“Did you see momma looking all pretty?”

“Everyone does, Rai, look.” Genma turns him to the door, and Raidou swears his heart stops.

Sakura is a  _ masterpiece, _ just as she was the first time he saw her in that dress. It has to have been Ino that’s tucked a few small flowers into the braided crown around her head, and probably Anko that convinced her to wear the shade of lipstick she knows drives him insane. Her face is tilted to the sky, eyes blinking rapidly, and when she finally looks down, he sees her chin crumpling before she bites her lip.

“Oh,” he whispers. It’s largely overshadowed by Sayuri’s cry of  _ momma,  _ and a little less impactful in the face of a toddler squirming out of his arms, and definitely not what he wanted his first word of the ceremony to be, but he watches Sayuri run to her and realizes it doesn’t  _ matter.  _ “You-you’re--”

“Late to the party?” Sakura chuckles, much to the amusement of the guests. She steps down the stairs onto the grass and the closer she gets, the easier it is to see the moonlight reflecting in her eyes. “Honey, I’m home.”

Kakashi sticks his meddling fingers between them before Raidou can lean forward and kiss her cheek. “Ah, ah, ah,” he says. “You already saw her before now, you wait your turn.”

“Kakashi,” Sakura says fondly.

“Sakura,” he says, teasing. “What sort of friend would I be if I let this man steal a precious kiss from one of my best friends?”

“The kind who lets love win,” Iruka calls.

While Kakashi’s distracted and giving Iruka a gesture Raidou hopes Sayuri doesn’t pick up on, he sneaks a kiss anyway. “Glad you made it,” he murmurs. “Ahem. Kakashi?”

“Right, right,” Kakashi says. Clapping his hands together, he draws everyone’s eyes to them. “We’re gathered here tonight for a very special reason--Sakura disliking parties enough to pick up an extra sh--” He hisses, then has the audacity to look somewhat like ashamed when Genma smacks his arm. “Because these two love each other, incredibly so, and because Raidou cares about her enough to plan this whole thing when Sakura’s busy saving lives. I’m sure she appreciates it, Raidou.”

“I do,” Sakura says, and Kakashi shakes his head.

“Too early for those words, Sakura,” he chides. “Everyone here has witnessed these two grow together over the years. We’ve watched them through good times and bad, sickness and health--”

“Helped me around when I was all fat with this one…” Sakura smooths Sayuri’s hair away from her forehead before setting her down and pointing to Anko. “Mom’ll be with you in a few minutes, okay? Anko’ll take good care of you.” When Sayuri is satisfactorily in Anko’s arms, Sakura presses into Raidou’s side and draws his arm around her waist. “Go on, Kakashi.”

“Sickness, health, everything in between, we know the drill. We’ve been a part of it, and now we get to be a part of this new journey,” Kakashi continues. He puts a hand on each of their shoulders. “Vows, either of you?”

“I have mine,” Raidou says. 

“Gods, I’ll try to remember,” Sakura says. She squeezes Raidou’s hand with a deep breath. “Hospital brain, you know.”

“I’ll be your clarity,” Raidou says softly, taking her face in his hands with a smile. “Me first?”

Sakura nods and presses her cheek against his palm. 

“I love you,” he begins, “so, so much, Sakura. You’ve been there through the days when everything goes smoothly, and you’ve been there through the days when it all falls apart. Even when I fell apart those first few weeks, remember?”

“Yeah,” she whispers.

“I promise to be there for you as much as I can, through whatever I can,” Raidou continues. “We won’t be together through all of it. That’s not our life.” He looks over to see Kakashi nodding in agreement. “And I’m sure there will be hardships on the way, but that’s what makes us,  _ us,  _ baby. Makes us human. Makes this house a home.”

Sakura steps forward, the bouquet beginning to crumple between their chests as she lifts her eyes skyward.

“I even promise to bring the spiders outside, even when they make you scream,” he says. She laughs, and he wraps an arm around her waist to draw them flush against one another. “To take care of our daughter when you’re down and out from a long day of helping others. To be the best I can be for you, even on the hard days.”

“Sakura?” Kakashi prompts when Raidou nods that he’s finished.

“Gods,” she says, voice thick. “I don’t know if I can, um, compete with that.”

“Not a competition,” Raidou reminds gently.

“Well, Raidou.” Sakura takes a step back, inhales, and takes a second to gather herself before lifting her lips in a smile. “I suppose I can start with that, then. I will do my best to remember that we’re a team,” she says. “Not just me, not just you, it’s us.” She bounces on the balls of her feet as her hands fall to tangle in his, swinging their fists between them. “You’re the one I want to come home and collapse with at the end of the day, even when it’s interrupted with a stray fist to the face.”

The audience chuckles when she looks to Sayuri.

“Really, I promise to do my best to love you how you should be loved, every day, even when it’s hard,” she murmurs, meeting his eyes through soft pink lashes. “I’ll do my best to love you as much as Sayuri loves when we let her ‘sneak’ food.”

“Well, that’s a tall order,” Raidou says, grinning.

“I think I can handle it,” Sakura says, squeezing his hands.

Kakashi clears his throat and gestures between them. “You two ready?”

They nod together, and Sakura nearly falls into Kakashi as Sayuri escapes Anko’s arms and runs to embrace her legs. “We’re ready,” she says.

“Raidou, do you promise to love and honor Sakura for as long as you live?”

“I do,” Raidou says.

“Sakura, do y--”

“I do, I do,” she interrupts, bringing Raidou’s knuckles to her lips.

“Then it’s my privilege, my  _ honor,  _ to--” he smirks-- “at long last, pronounce you two man and wife. Raidou, care to do the honors?”

With no hesitation, he plucks the bouquet from Sakura’s hand and lowers it to Sayuri’s. “Take care of that, okay?” he tells her, and when she nods seriously, he wastes no time in gathering Sakura in his arms and kissing her like his life depends on it. He vaguely registers the sound of Anko’s wolf whistle from behind them, but pays no heed. 

Sakura’s lips, her warm body against his, is all that matters right now.

Eventually, they need to breathe. Genma elbows his side and mutters “rings, Rai,” before tapping his thigh.

“Right, right,” Raidou chuckles. He fishes them out, Sakura’s eyes lighting up when he holds them out in a roughened palm. “I think mine’s the one with all the pretty stones, isn’t it?” he asks, already pulling her hand into his and fitting the band onto her finger. “Mm, maybe it looks nicer on you.”

“You ass,” she whispers fondly in his ear. He flushes when she tugs his finger up. “You’ll have this one and not pitch a fit.”

“I suppose it’ll do.” Raidou lowers his lips to hers for another, quicker kiss before Kakashi turns them around to face the rest of the people gathered. 

“Go on home,” he orders. “We’ve got everything covered out here, and Sayuri’s going to Anko’s for the night. Raidou packed her up and everything.”

“Did he?” she asks, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

He shrugs. “Made an executive decision,” he says. “It  _ is  _ our wedding night after all, even if you just want to drop and sleep.”

Sakura looks to Anko, who’s hefting Sayuri to rest on her hip. “You’re sure?”

“As I’ll ever be, right, bug?” Anko says. She taps Sayuri’s nose, earning herself a giggle. “Going to come to auntie Anko’s for the night? We’ll have some fun?”

“We’ll be there to help too,” Iruka says, sliding an arm around Anko’s hip and lacing his fingers with Shikamaru’s. “You two deserve this. Take the night for yourselves. Trust us, all right?”

“I--” Sakura stops. “We,” she amends, sliding a hand up Raidou’s chest, “do. You’ll bring her back sometime tomorrow?”

“All in one piece, even,” Shikamaru jokes.

Genma comes up behind Raidou and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Go,” he says gently. He inclines his head toward the door. “The rest of your team’s got this. We promise.”

Raidou smiles in thanks before turning around to look at everyone’s eager faces. “We couldn’t have pulled this off without your help,” he says. “Thank you, seriously. It means the world to us.”

“Go!” Kakashi shouts, and Sakura tugs him back to face her.

“Carry me?” she asks.

“Sure thing, Namiashi,” he mumbles. Sakura yelps when he sweeps her legs out from under her, arms wrapping around his shoulders hard enough to crush him as she settles their foreheads together. “That sounds nice, doesn’t it?”  
“I think you need to say it again.”

“Sure thing, Namiashi,” he repeats, lips brushing against hers before he focuses on the steps before them. One, two go by easily, and he asks her to get the handle on the third. “Can’t start our marriage by dropping you,” he says.

“Wouldn’t that be me falling for you?” Sakura teases as they step over the threshold. She threads her fingers into his hair and tugs backwards, maneuvering him so he’s got his back up against the wood when the door shuts. “Because I still am, you know. Every day.”

He lets her down gently, allowing her to cage him in her arms and stare up at him. “I don’t think I knew what falling was before I knew you,” he says, brushing a stray chunk of hair away with a knuckle and watching her blush chase his skin. “And I’m reminded every day.”

“You always know how to put it,” she says. She buries her face in his chest as she hugs him close. “You’re so good at this stuff.”

“The woman I love makes it easy,” he says, stroking along her back.

“What a lucky woman,” Sakura breathes.

“What a lucky man,” he counters. He tips her chin up so he can nuzzle into her temple. “Because he’s got you for the rest of his life.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments always read and _very_ much appreciated, and I always do my best to get back to them ❤️
> 
> You can also find me lurking and yelling about fictional characters on:  
> [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/aryagraceling)  
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